Tag Archives: Bisexuals

Bryan Fischer

I want to say thanks to whoever emailed me the YouTube link to the video below, which was posted online by RightWingWatch.org.

The video is basically audio of a rant by Bryan Fischer, host of Focal Point on the AFA (American Family Association) Channel, in which Fischer explains why “Homosexuals are Nazis.” Never mind that the Nazis targeted the gays and lesbians in Germany for extermination along with the Jews and other groups. Never mind that gays and lesbians — and transgenders and bisexuals — are targeted daily by bigots and homophobes who deny us equal treatment under the law, who deny us protection against discrimination in housing and employment, and who way too often get away with harassing us verbally and physically attacking us, leaving many of us seriously injured if not dead.

Never mind all that, Mr. Fischer says. Because we refuse to sit idly by and allow their hatred against us to go unchallenged, we are Nazis. It makes my blood boil!

So why would I want to listen to this homophobic jerk’s rant? Why would I post it here on Instant Tea? Because the best advice in any battle is, “Know thine enemy.” So here you go. Now, where did I leave my jackboots?

SAN FRANCISCO — For the last 13 years, Lindasusan Ulrich has been in a committed relationship with the same woman. The couple have married three times, twice before it was legal in California and once while it briefly was. But if acquaintances were to assume Ulrich and her wife, Emily Drennen, are lesbians, they would be wrong. They identify as bisexuals and are proud of it.

This doesn’t mean their sexual orientation hasn’t presented challenges. Even in a do-as-you-like city such as San Francisco, the women have found bisexuals to be a misunderstood and often overlooked minority. During the state’s 2008 campaign to ban same-sex marriages, they forcefully reminded gay rights leaders — in the form of a cake decorated with the words “Having Our Cake and Eating It Too! Bisexuals Exist!” — that political advertising and fundraising appeals referring only to gay and lesbian couples did not encompass their imperiled union.

“It’s a unique identity as opposed to half one and half the other,” said Ulrich, a 41-year-old writer and musician who recently authored a report on “bisexual invisibility” for the San Francisco Human Rights Commission.

The commission unanimously adopted the report, and that could prove a significant step, said Denise Penn, director of the American Institute of Bisexuality.

Because San Francisco takes its commitment to gay and lesbian rights so seriously, shining a spotlight on the hostility bisexuals sometimes encounter from gay men and lesbians could help ease one of the most painful aspects of having a bisexual identity, Penn said.

“People don’t trust bisexuals, and I’ve heard some really, really nasty stuff,” Penn said. ” ‘Oh, you are going to just go back and hide in your straight world.’ Bisexuals are (seen as) tourists in the community, opportunists.”

As gay, lesbian and transgender people have succeeded in putting their fight for equality front and center in American politics, bisexuals — the often forgotten “B” in the LGBT rainbow — have been waging their own fight for recognition. From adopting a bisexual pride flag and commemorating Sept. 23 as bisexual pride day to urging researchers and government agencies to treat bisexuality as a distinct category, activists who acknowledge their attractions to both men and women say they want to assert their existence.

In promoting their not-insignificant ranks, activists point out that a UCLA demographer estimated last month that slightly more Americans self-identify as bisexual than as gay or lesbian. But the activist argue their task is complicated by stereotypes of bisexuals as fickle sex fiends, the difficulty in pinning down who counts as bisexual, and discrimination from both the straight and gay communities.

“Even people who would not feel comfortable saying bad things about gay or lesbian people still feel comfortable trashing bi people,” said Robyn Ochs, a veteran bisexual activist in Boston.

Johnny Fesenko, 42, a computer programmer in San Francisco, said that contrary to popular belief and jokes about male fantasies involving threesomes, living as a bisexual can sometimes feel like the worst of all worlds instead of the best of both. Gay friends and potential partners tell him his interest in women is just a phase. He’s had straight women refuse to date him because he’s not “a real man.” He once was punched in the face while walking with a boyfriend in Manhattan, he said.

“It’s almost like being called an atheist — you would rather call yourself agnostic because there is such a stigma associated with it,” Fesenko said.

Despite the inherent obstacles, activists point to signs of progress. The National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, one of the nation’s largest gay rights groups, a few years ago started holding bisexual-specific meetings and panels. Students at Ohio State University, the University of Michigan, the University of Minnesota have established groups for bisexuals. Out & Equal, a San Francisco-based organization that advocates for workplace rights for gays, last year sponsored an international survey aimed at uncovering on-the-job issues that bisexuals face.

“People really believe that bisexuality is covered by either gay issues or straight issues, so… you don’t need to worry about the whole middle thing,” said Heidi Green, a diversity trainer who co-conducted the survey. “Yet there are huge issues for bisexuals. When I ask people if they are out at work, the answer is almost universally ‘no.’ And because we don’t have really strong community, there is a tendency to believe the issues you have in your life are unique to you, there is something wrong with you.”

Chicago resident Adrienne Williams, a web content producer, launched the online Bisexual Social Network in late 2008 to fill what she considered a shameful absence of bisexual celebrities and entertainment in gay media. She still likes playing watchdog. One of her recent pet peeves is that gay publications celebrated the coming out of singer Ricky Martin, who was long rumored to be gay, but gave short shrift to Anna Paquin’s announcement, while she was engaged to a man, that she is bisexual.

Kate Kendall, executive director of the National Center for Lesbian Rights, acknowledges that gay and lesbian leaders have not always made their bisexual comrades feel appreciated. Within the LGBT movement, bridging internal divisions of race, class, gender and sexual orientation can take a back seat to combating bias on the outside, she said.

“What the movement must always be doing is looking around for whose issues are being ignored, whose issues are being left behind, who is not with us as we see gains being made,” Kendall said. “Certainly bisexual folks have a legitimate beef when they say that they have felt by turns disrespected and by turns ignored.”

Kendall’s advocacy organization last year sued the North American Gay Amateur Athletic Association on behalf of three bisexual men disqualified from playing in the 2008 Gay Softball World Series in Seattle. Their team’s eligibility had been challenged based on a rule limiting each squad to including no more than two straight players. During a hearing, the three players were asked whether they were predominantly attracted to men or women and other questions about their sexual orientations. A panel then voted on whether they were “gay” or “non-gay,” according to the still pending complaint.

“I thought we were going to get more resistance from lesbian and gay folks in the community, not only for representing these men, but suing a gay softball association,” Kendall said. “With a few exceptions, we have had overwhelming support, which I take as an indication that we as a movement overall have matured on this issue.”

Below is a list of some of the larger gyms in the area that are popular within the community. Along with their contact information, we’ve included observations made while gathering our information for you. You’re welcome.

Club Dallas
Has been exclusively serving gay men for more than 30 years. They are open 24 hours.
2616 Swiss Ave.
214-821-1990
TheClubs.com

Diesel Fitness
Located on the third floor of the Centrum in what was once the area’s most popular gym.
3102 Oak Lawn Ave., Ste. 300
214-219-6400
DieselFitness214.com

Gold’s Gym
Locations throughout the city with one location in Uptown. Not as popular as it once was since the chain’s owner made a major contribution to an anti-gay cause.
2425 McKinney Ave.
214-306-9000
GoldsGym.com

Trophy Fitness Club
Four locations in Dallas with one on Mockingbird Lane near Central Expressway and another in Uptown.
2812 Vine St., Ste. 300
214-999-2826
TrophyFitnessClub.com

Equinox
They’re located on Oak Lawn but call it their Highland Park location, so we’re not sure who they’re trying to attract or distract from membership.
4023 Oak Lawn Ave.
214-443-9009
Equinox.com

24 Hour Fitness
When you Google the Downtown location, this quote pops up: “Beware there are lots of bisexuals and perverts that go there.” Might be a reason to try this location … or a reason to call their management to get it changed.
700 N. Harwood St.
214-220-2423
24HourFitness.com

— David Taffet

This article appeared in the Dallas Voice print edition Feb. 18, 2011.

In a landmark victory for gay rights, the U.S. Senate gave final approval Saturday afternoon to a bill repealing the military’s 17-year-old ban on open service.

The bill, which passed the House earlier in the week, cleared the Senate by a margin of 65-31. It now goes to President Barack Obama for his signature before the process of implementing a repeal of “don’t ask, don’t tell” can begin.

This morning, the Senate voted 63-33 to cut off debate on DADT repeal, a defining procedural move that virtually ensured the bill’s passage this afternoon. As expected, Texas Republican Sens. John Cornyn and Kay Bailey Hutchison both voted against advancing DADT repeal.

Six Republicans joined 45 Democrats and two Independents to provide the 60-vote supermajority needed to cut off debate. The six Republicans were Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins of Maine, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, Scott Brown of Massachusetts, Mark Kirk of Illinois and George Voinovich of Ohio. No Democrats voted against advancing the bill, but Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., did not vote.

“This vote represents an historic step forward for this country, and it will very likely be a life-changing moment for gay and lesbian troops,” said Alexander Nicholson, executive director of Servicemembers United and a former multi-lingual Army interrogator who wasdischarged under DADT.

Nicholson added that while implementing DADT repeal will take some time, “those who defend our freedom while living in fear for their careers will finally breathe a sigh of relief tonight, and those who have fallen victim to this policy in years past will finally begin to see true closure and redemption on the horizon.”

Repealing the policy will mean that for the first time in this history of the U.S., gays, lesbians and bisexuals can serve openly in the military. More than 13,500 servicemembers have been discharged under DADT since it became law in 1993.

In the wake of the initial vote this morning, the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network called on Defense Secretary Robert Gates to immediately suspend all investigations and discharges under DADT.

Under the bill, implementation of DADT repeal won’t begin until 60 days after Obama, Gates and the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff certify that eliminating the policy won’t harm the military’s readiness.

“Until the President signs the bill, until there is certification, and until the 60-day Congressional period is over, no one should be investigated or discharged under this discriminatory law,” said SLDN Executive Director Aubrey Sarvis. “Even with this historic vote, service members must continue to serve in silence until repeal is final. Certification and the 60-day Congressional requirement must be wrapped up no later than the first quarter of 2011. The bottom line: for now, gay, lesbian, and bisexual service members must remain cautiously closeted.”

The Human Rights Campaign issued this statement:

“Today, America lived up to its highest ideals of freedom and equality. Congress recognized that all men and women have the right to openly serve their country,” said HRC President Joe Solmonese. “Plenty of people had already planned the funeral for this legislation. Today, we pulled out a victory from what was almost certain defeat just a few days ago. We are grateful to President Obama, Majority Leader Reid and Sens. Lieberman, Collins and countless others for their dogged determination to repeal DADT.

“This has been a long fought battle, but this failed and discriminatory law will now be history,” added Solmonese. “Congress now joins the majority of our troops and the American public in the common sense belief that on the battlefield, it does not matter whether a service member is lesbian, gay or straight — what matters is that a service member gets the job done. The President can now fulfill his promise and sign this repeal legislation into law. After signing this legislation, we call on the President and Secretary of Defense to act expeditiously to complete the steps necessary to implement final repeal.”

Yesterday Google unveiled Google Instant, a new feature that quickly suggests links as you enter your search query. For example, type in "bi" and it will suggest pages on bipolar disorder. Type in "bisexual" though and you'll get a blank page. Google Instant Product manager Jonathan Effrat says, "Finding the right information should feel easy," but Google apparently has an Apple-like criteria in deciding what information is "right." Among the terms their new feature just won't serve: lesbian, orgasm, and Michael Lucas (sorry Mike).

Among the revelations of dating site OK Cupid's data crunch of its membership: "Men are on average 2 inches shorter than they say in their profiles, while women are an inch shorter. About 50 percent of daters fib about their weight. Almost everyone exaggerates their income by 20 percent." Oh, and this: "80% of self-identified bisexuals are only interested in one gender." So BiCupid.com, an actual website apparently unaffiliated with OK Cupid, is pretty useless then?